


Assistant

by ZaryaZeigler



Category: Portal, Portal 2
Genre: 2nd Person, Horror, Romance, Sci-Fi, Second Person, Wheatley POV
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-13
Updated: 2020-03-11
Packaged: 2021-02-26 22:55:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21786955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZaryaZeigler/pseuds/ZaryaZeigler
Summary: You are just an assistant among geniuses. It’s not like you going to be part of anything big, right?
Relationships: Wheatley/Chell
Comments: 4
Kudos: 32





	1. Androids

“Good Morning fellow Sciencers!” You greeted cheerfully, a tray of steaming coffee for your co-workers.

A collective groan echoed in the lab as you entered.

“It’s pronounced ‘Scientists’ Wheatley,” Caroline suggested kindly.

Your face went red at the beautiful lead scientist correcting you, “Hah, yeah I knew that I was just ... y'know...making a joke....” You trailed off.

Dr. Henry, the lead engineer, looked up at you and scowled “This is science Wheatley. We don’t joke.”

“Don’t expect him to understand,” Dr. Caleb scoffed. “He’s an intern. He doesn’t science.” 

You glowered at him. “Actually, I’m a personal assistant.”

Sensing tension, Caroline stepped between you and lay a hand on your shoulder. “Oh come on. Wheatley might not Science, but he still is a valued member of our team!” Caroline took a warm cup from your tray and gave you a bright smile.

You smiled back. Caroline was very pretty. All put-together in high heels and a pristine white lab coat. She juxtaposed your sloppily put on tie and half tucked in button up shirt. 

“Caroline’s got a point,” Dr. Kate said as you handed her a hot cup of coffee. “Without Wheatley, we wouldn’t have a chance of getting anything done. We need our coffee goddamnit!”

“Precisely,” Said a Voice from behind. You turned to see Cave Johnson himself leaning against the doorway.

“Good Morning Mister Johnson!” Caroline greeted. 

“Morning Caroline.” He stepped into the room and helped himself to a cup. “Ah yes, caffeine. I wish we continued that one project that replaced human blood with caffeine. Not only would our life liquid been delicious, but also it would’ve also made women much more pleasant to be around while they menstruated.”

“If only we could have managed to make only the blood into coffee and not the entire person,” Kate said wistfully.

“Aw well, at least it was still drinkable.” Henry shrugged.

You laughed uneasily, hiding your terror of the experiments being mentioned. 

“Anyway, as Caroline said, every single one of us is an important member of the team and deeply valued. Even you Wesley,” He slapped you on the back, winding you and nearly tipping over your tray.

“Actually, it’s Wheatley Sir,” you corrected, wheezing slightly. 

“Haha, I knew that.” Johnson said. “How about we take a walk ‘Wheatly’”

You were shocked, THE Cave Johnson was asking for your attention. Was this real? Was he planning on foreign you? No, he couldn’t fire you, stuff like that was below the mighty Cave Johnson. It had to be something else.

“O-of course!” You stammered. “Yeah, that'd be great! Kate, uh, would you mind handing out the rest of these Cuppas for me?”

“I don’t know what the hell a ‘Cuppa’ is but I can take the tray,” Kate said, taking it.

Cave Johnson gestured for you to follow him into the hall. You did so, tripping over yourself out of nervousness.  
“Wheatly, I suppose you’ve heard of the GLADOS project?”

“Of course!” You push your glasses up. “Seems like the only thing Miss Caroline ever talks ‘bout at the moment.”

“Ah yes, of course she does, she’s got big plans for it.” Johnson chuckled. He led you to a door that had several different ID scanners on it. “You see, there’s a lot of problems when building an AI. Mainly, the ‘Artificial’ part. Consciousness is impossible to create artificially. It needs organic neurotransmitters to function properly. You get me?” He punched his ID badge into the door. 

“Not really sir,” You admitted.

“Excellent, that’s why I need you.” He said, pressing his eye into the scanner, then placing his handprint on the panel. 

You looked at him in shock. “You…..need me? But, I’m just an assistant!”

“Precisely,” Cave plucked out a hair and put it into the Bio scanner.

A voice came from the door, “DNA scan and ID complete. Welcome Jave Cohnson.”

“Jave Cohnson? Damnit, Caroline must have entered my name wrong. Again.” He muttered unhappily as the door slid open. The lights automatically flicked on, revealing a white sterile room with robotics equipment scattered about.

You felt giddy. You hadn’t been allowed in any of the labs since the cloning incident which was referred to as the “Great Wheatley Invasion.” in which you stumbled upon a test chamber and ended up making about twelve dozen clones of yourself who all insisted they were the original Wheatly. You still weren’t sure if all the clones were officially taken care of. You weren’t even sure if you WERE the original Wheatly or not. You didn’t like to dwell on it. 

“This is where the majority of our new project is taking place. Very few people know of it and if you tell anyone outside of your department, you will be promptly executed along with anyone you told or have ever spoken to.” Cave said as he walked further into the room. Near the rooms centre were thirteen metal slabs with white sheets covering them. You prayed they weren’t corpses. Cave approached one and pulled back the cover.  
You gasped.

On the slab, was an Android. Her form was female. Her white hair was cut into a blunt bob, a plain white hospital gown covered her body and long black boots reached her knees. Her eyes were closed and she would have looked just like a sleeping human if it weren’t for all the carbon panels and wiring ports.

He chuckled next to you “Like her? This is GLADOS. The future of Aperture Science.”

“She’s bloody brilliant, “You muttered, transfixed on the humanoid robot. You touched its arm, feeling the smooth white carbon at your fingers. It was cool to the touch. “But...Sir, what does this have to do with me?” 

Johnson smiled and waved you over to another table. He grabbed the white sheet and threw it back. Your heart stopped.  
On the table laues you. Or at least, a near perfect replica of you. It had the same glasses and shaggy blonde hair. However, the huge hole in its chest and wire panels indicated it was clearly not human.

“It ...it's me….” Was all you could muster.

“Indeed it is. It’s a one of a kind model made for a line of Androids I’m starting for the facility.” He pulled off the sheets of some of the other tables. All had unique looking half finished androids. You were shocked to find that they all resemble your coworkers. “I call them Core units. Soon, everyone in the facility will have their consciousness uploaded into one of these.”

You blinked, “I beg your pardon?”

Johnson laughed, and lay a hand on your shoulder “You see, the reason Aperture works as a well oiled machine is because of our workers, And  
and just like Caroline said, everyone in this facility is crucial to the innovation of Science. We can’t afford to lose anyone.” His Hand tightened on you shoulder.

You felt your heart catch in your throat “Wait ...but that means that my real body will be…”

“Dead? Eh, so what? You should consider yourself lucky. Most people just stay dead after they die. You and everyone else get to continue working in Aperture for the rest of time! Lucky you!”

“Uhm, Sir?” You said, your voice trembling. “I’m pretty sure this wasn’t in my contract….I’m just working this job until I can pay for my fourth year of University. I never sighed up for, for THIS!”

Cave Johnson seemed unmoved by your distress, “That’s why you gotta read the fine print, son. As far as I’m concerned, Aperture owns you!“ He patted you on the back before turning and strolling casually out of the room. “I would suggest you get back to work. Those coffees aren’t going to serve themselves.”  
He whistled as he exited, leaving you to stare at the metallic copy of yourself.


	2. Consolation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caroline tries to console you.

Caroline noticed how shaken you looked when you came back to the lab. She looked at you concerned. “Is everything alright Wheatley?”

“Yup! Everything’s just brilliant!” You lied as you picked your pitcher off of the table and topped up her coffee.

“Uhm, Wheatley?” She asked worried. “Your spilling my coffee.”

“What?” You looked down to see the coffee overflowing and spilling onto the desk. “Oh! I’m so sorry!” You put the coffee pot down and grabbed a bunch of paper towels to mop up the mess. You let out a yelp as the steaming coffee soaked through the towels and burned your hands.

“Honestly, what’s going on?” She prodded, grabbing you hands to make sure there were no burns. 

You sighed, “Caroline, are you aware of Mister Johnson’s plans to upload us into machines?”

Caroline lit up, “Of course! Isn’t it brilliant? We’ve been working on it for ages! Can you imagine Wheatley? Being immortal? Being able to research for the rest of eternity?”

“No! No I can’t!” You laughed nervously and ran your fingers through your hair. “Caroline, I’m not supposed to be here for eternity! I’m not even a scientist!”

Caroline frowned and looked at you concerned. “You...you don’t know...do you?“

“Know what!? Apparently I don’t know bloody anything anymore! So what else is it that I don’t know!?” You yelled. The other scientists in the room gave you concerned looks.

Caroline hushed you, “Not here.” She took your hand and gently led you into her office. You always loved Caroline’s office. It was big and filled with colour. A huge glass window overlooked the testing facilities below so she could monitor the test subjects in her very own lab. But, now it felt cold and unwelcoming, you felt like you were in danger.  
She sat down on a couch pushed next to a bookshelf. She patted the spot next to her and you shakily plopped down.  
“Wheatley, Aperture prides itself in not only our innovations, but also our ability to keep all of our research nder the radar.”

Your eyes narrowed, “And why is that.”

Caroline looked uneasy, like she was searching for the right words, “Well...there’s certain parts of our work that the government might not...Uhm...agree with…”

“Is it because Johnson’s out of his bloody mind!? I got a family to get back to! I got a Mom, a dad, a younger sister, a future at Oxford! I can’t stay in Aperture forever trapped in some soulless Carbon-Fibre husk!” You said, bordering on hysterics.

“Look,Wheatley, I know it sounds scary, but you need to understand. What we are working on here at Aperture, it’s bigger than us. This is for the good of the world Wheatley, and that’s pretty big.”

“I suppose,” You muttered. Your hair was a mess from you running your hands through it and your glasses were slightly askew. “I just ...I never expected my life to turn out this way….” 

“Hey….” Caroline soothes. “Life is unpredictable, that’s what makes it fun!”

“CAROLINE!” Cave Johnson’s Voice boomed through the pager she had on her desk. “All of the Test subjects in room 13 are GOO and I need your help NOW!” 

“Right away!” Caroline responded. She turned to you sympathetic. “Sorry. I got to take this. You take as much time as you need Wheatley, I’m sorry I couldn’t be more helpful.”

You watched her hurry from the room. That’s when it sunk in that you would never leave. Aperture was a one way ticket. You buried your face in your hands and sobbed.

———————————————————————-

The next few weeks blurred together. Your co-workers got concerned as your chipper demeanor dissolved into that of a silent, obedient worker. 

“Everything alright there?” Kate asked one morning as you handed her an espresso. 

“Of course it is,” you said faking a smile. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

“You’ve seemed off a bit, are you sure everything’s alright?”

“Yup! All good here! Just a little tired is all, luv. No need to worry.” You assured, picking up your coffee tray and booking it out of the room. 

Henry glared after you suspiciously. You could hear his condescending voice through the wall. “What’s up with the Englishman?”

Kate shrugged, “No idea, he’s been like this for a while. I think he’s shaken after learning about Mr.Johnson's project.”

“Oh. Is that so?” Henry pursed his lips. 

“I’m not surprised that moron is freaking out over it,“ Caleb admitted.  
You felt yourself stiffen at that word. Moron was what every teacher had called you and what every girl you ever asked out had insulted you with. 

“Yeah,” Henry agreed. “I have no idea why Mr. Johnson insists on having everyone in the facility uploaded into their very own AI core. Especially Wheatley. What does he have to offer?”

“Shut it!” Kate snapped. “Wheatley may not be the brightest, but he’s a good man and means well.”  
You felt your face heat up at the sound of Kate defending you. 

“Give me a break!” Caleb snorted, “Being a good man doesn’t contribute to science.”

“Neither does being an asshole.” Kate hissed. “So as your superior, I suggest that you shut up and get working.”

The room went quiet, and you felt a rush of gratitude towards Kate protecting you so fiercely. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad here after all.

———————————————————————-

Caroline vanishes one day. Then all around the facility people started going missing. Entire departments have just vanished without a trace. At first it was baffling. Where were all these people going? Why were they disappearing?

Then you got answers. They came in the form of so called companion cubes.  
You walked by one that had been left out by a test subject and to your horror, discovered the voice of Cindy, a co-worker coming from it.  
More and more of these cubes came into use. Each was sentient, each had a voice and most terrifying of all, they used to be a person.

After the cubes came the turrets. Machines for shooting with programmed personalities. They could talk and sing and move. Like the cubes, they were AIs made of former employees consciousness. 

Cave and everyone else in your department pretended everything was fine. He had just laughed when you brought your concerns to him. “Trust me, she is still in Aperture and she is always watching.” He and with that, he winked and walked off as if nothing ever happened.


	3. Co-workers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quality time with Curious Kate.

You soon discovered where Caroline vanished. 

GLADOS ran the facility now, a machine that your former friend now inhabited. 

You could hear her voice over the speakers and you could see the Android she now inhabited testing everyone. She seemed so different. Well, different be besides the fact she was a machine now.  
All she ever did was test. You overheard your co-workers concerns that the test subjects weren’t getting enough sleep, 

You understood what they meant as you watched the testing commence through Caroline’s old office. The subject currently testing was incredibly haggard looking and looked like she wanted to sleep. Despite that, she passed every test with ease. 

“Isn’t she impressive?” Kate asked by your side. “She’s the best test subject Aperture has ever hired.”

You gazed at said test subject as she ran through the tests flawlessly. “She’s brilliant.” Was all you could muster. You had no idea how someone could manage to do all those puzzles and tests so flawlessly. She looked young too, barely fourteen, It was as if she had done every chamber a million times before. 

“I talk to Caroline every day. She says the GLADOS project was a complete success. We may not need the Cores after all.” Kate smiled.

You looked at her in shock, “Seriously!? That’s fantastic! That means there’s a chance I can go home!”

“Only if we steer clear of any emergency situations and aren’t fired to install the Core program, then yes.”

You wrapped your arms around her and swung her around gleefully, “That’s fantastic Luv!” You said giddy. “That leaves four months until my contract ends, then I can go home!”

Kate blushed deeply from within your hold. Being around strict science men, she rarely got any shows of affection from anyone, “Y-yes! Well, only if the emergency Protocol stays off, but the chances of it going off are slim to none. So, no worries there haha….”She assured nervously. 

You chuckled and tucked a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear, “What’s got you so flustered sweetheart?” 

“N-Nothing!” Kate blurted, now resembling a tomato. “I got to go!” 

You watched as she left, amused. Out of all your co-workers, Kate was definitely the one you were most fond of. She was smart, funny, friendly and curious. She wanted to know everything about everyone, she wanted all the mysteries of the universe to be in a puzzle she could solve. 

She was so unlike you with your nonexistent common sense and dreadful problem solving skills. Like, very, very dreadful. You recall a time you couldn’t get a pickle jar open, and instead of getting help, you just flopped down on the floor and cried until someone came to help.

You shivered, your first week at Aperture was not one you remembered fondly.

Despite Caleb and Henry’s clear disliking of you, you still admired them greatly. Henry was brilliant, he was a Valedictorian at only 16 and currently held 7 PHDs. He was an incredible mathematician and astronomer.  
And Caleb could rattle off a fact about anything. Even the tiniest, most obscure details could be turned into an essay with the amount he knew about the subject.

You had no idea how you even got a job here in the first place. The only reason you were set to go to Oxford was because your father was quite rich. You looked especially daft compared to everyone here. They earned their jobs through hard work and dedication. 

Especially Caroline who had gone from a broken home and a failing marriage to the right hand woman of the world's leading scientist. 

You couldn’t shake the disturbing thought of Caroline now. Sure her mind was in GLADOS now, but her body was rotting away somewhere, an empty husk of the woman she used to be.  
You shivered and went back to serving coffee. 

———————————————————————-

Aperture was quiet nowadays. The usual hustle of innovation and science has dulled to a mere whisper amongst the humming of turrets.  
Those bloody turrets would be the death of you. You went for a spot of water one night and nearly got blown back to Bristol when you triggered a rogue turrets defense mechanism.  
The turret apologized afterwards, but you were still shaken up about it. 

By far the most disturbing thing was the fact that Caroline would watch you sleep. She never took the time to speak with you, what with all the testing, but she did watch you constantly.

All the living quarters windows overlooked a courtyard with false wildlife in the centre. It was in a box shape.  
And every night, GLADOS would be out there hooked up to her railing and gazing up and the seventh story room. Your seventh story room.  
You considered asking for her to stop, but frankly you were scared. You were scared that the testing, the machinery and all the facilities power was changing Caroline.  
This change was especially prominent whenever she tested. She seemed to revel in every moment of it like it was a sort of game rather than simple tests. 

The other workers seemed to notice this too. Kate’s daily visits changed to every other day, then once every week, then stopped altogether. 

Henry and Caleb has stopped tormenting you. They were far too busy monitoring the GLADOS project to pay any attention to your visits. They pulled all nighters which resulted in you staying up as well to serve them coffee. It was boring, tedious work, but soon the third month came and went, leaving you with a single month until your contract allows you to go back to England. 

Even though there was still an entire month to go, you had already packed, eager to get the hell out of this facility. There was barely any people left! It was as if the entire place was turned into some giant experiment!  
You sighed and shut your suitcase, you’re certainly going to be glad to see the last of it. 

“Wow, someone’s eager to leave.” Kate said from your doorway. 

You chuckled and adjusted your glasses, “Can you blame me? I’ve been cooped up down here almost two years! There’s a blue sky waiting for me out there.”

Kate laughed lightly, “Yeah. I miss the sun. That’s the downside of working for a secret government agency I guess,” She shrugged. 

You frowned. Kate looked quite disgruntled, her hair was a mess, her lab coat was inside out and the clothes she wore underneath were stained with coffee. 

“Somethin’ bothering you, dear?” you cocked your head to the side.

She rubbed her face with her hands, exhaustion evident, “Just work is all.”

“Is the GLADOS project malfunctioning?” You asked nervously. You had only one month to go. You could NOT lose your freedom now.

“The opposite,” Kate sat down on your bed. “It seems the project is working too well. All Caroline wants to do is test. She’s becoming….” She clenched her fists. “....difficult to control…” 

“What do you mean?” You asked, sitting across from her on an office chair. 

“She’s started doing testing off schedule, waking subjects for testing against the set schedule, commanding turrets and even setting up new chambers!” Kate there her hands up. “I caught her baking a cake yesterday, what the hell does she need a cake for!?”

You put an arm around her shoulder, “You are worrying too much. How about you head down to the break room and I whip you up an espresso with sprinkles and foam? I’ll add glitter!”

Kate giggles and sat up, “I’m really going to miss you Wheatley. I’ll meet you down there.” 

You watched as she left, a small smile on your face. 

You turned the light out and went to close the blinds. Peering out the window, you froze.

Caroline stared back from down below.


	4. Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where is Everyone?

It took a while before you realized you were completely alone.   
You had been so preoccupied with the fact you only had two weeks left here that you hadn’t noticed how off everything is.   
You made a fresh pot of coffee and grabbed your tray before heading into the lab.

“Good morning Scien-“ You came up short at the sight of the room. Papers were scattered about and the chairs were haphazardly sprawled around.  
It looked like a bomb had gone off. You felt dread pool in your stomach at the sight of bullet holes on the wall. That meant the turrets had been activated, But by who?

“Kate? Luv? Are you in here?” Your shaky voice called out. No one responded.  
Setting your coffee tray on the table, you proceeded further into the lab despite every instinct telling you to run.   
You felt a fear unlike any other appear when you saw blood splattered on one of the office chairs and against the walls.   
Something shiny on Kate’s desk caught your eye. It was a Holo-tape that had your name written in rushed cursive. 

Your eyes widened and you quickly picked it up and pressed the green play button. A hologram of Kate appeared. She looked terrible.

“Wheatley, if you found this, then I’m likely already gone.” She whispered. Your heart stopped. “Something went terribly wrong this morning. Caroline has broken away from her programming. She tried to wipe us out, We are all in grave danger. I’m so sorry Wheatley, I’ve got to use the emergency protocol. I’m taking Caleb and Henry to the Core conversion centre. You need to get down here as soon as possible! Good luck Wheatley.” 

The hologram turned off and you were left alone again. Your heart was racing and your mouth felt like cotton. You were so bloody close. So close to going home and leaving this nightmare behind. 

You took a shaky breath and adjusted your glasses. This was no time for selfish moping. Kate needed you. 

You pocketed the Holotape and tried to compose yourself. The Core Conversion centre was right underneath were the androids had been built and tucked Inside Cave Johnson’s office. You had never been there personally, but you had the utmost faith you could navigate. 

———————————————————————-

You were bloody daft to think you could navigate.  
Despite being here for almost 2 years, you had little knowledge of the facility outside of your department. It must have been an hour of wandering around before you finally found the entryway. The metal door was open ajar and a bloody handprint smeared on the frame.  
You felt your heartbeat pick up as you opened the door completely. The smell of tobacco smoke filled your senses as you entered. The source was a beaten and bloodied Cave Johnson. He sat in a large arm chair and gazed into the Embers of the hearths blazing fire. 

“Mister Johnson!” You said in surprise, running over. You hadn’t seen the man since he first showed you the GLADOS project. And while you were resentful for him tricking you in your contract, you didn’t want anything bad to happen to him. 

“Hello Wheatley,” he greeted weakly, all of the usual loud charisma drained from his voice. “Turned out the GLADOS project wasn’t such a good idea and neither where all those moon rocks.” He coughed, spluttering blood all over his clothes before returning to his cigar.

“Mr. Johnson! What happened to you!?” You exclaimed, checking for wounds.

“Run in with turrets, nothing Cave Johnson can’t handle.” He tapped the bullet holes in his leg. “Besides, all this damned moon dust was killing me anyway.” Cave coughed again. “But that doesn’t matter. My time researching is up. It’s your turn to do something great.”

A frown crossed your face, “What? No,no,no,no, you can’t just give up!!!! That’s not what Cave Johnson does! Come on mate! You can’t just die!?” You yelled in hysterics

“Calm down you idiot! Cave Johnson dies when he feels like it! Now listen closely!” He insisted.  
A cough racked his body and more blood came up. “Look Wheatley. The Cores are more than a simple mind transplant. I designed each one with personality and talent to temper GLADOS’s intelligence. It’s all one big machine working in unison.”

“You mean the Cores were made as a sort of ‘humanize” GLADOS? I thought Caroline was meant to do that?” You pointed out.

“Originally, yes. My dear Caroline was meant to be the backbone of the machine just like she is to the facility. But ...as you can see…” He gestured to his bullet hole riddled leg. “It seems Caroline succumbed to all the power.” He shook his head. “It was my fault. I forced her into it. I made her give up her job, her daughter and her future…..I pushed her too hard and she broke. But now I need your help Wheatley. Don’t do it for me, do it for Caroline ...Please…”

You were scared. You were scared for your future, you were scared for your life ...but you also were better than to reject someone in need of help. You may be a bit daft and scatterbrained, but you were not selfish.

“Alright. What is it you need from me?” 

———————————————————————-

Aperture was huge. The android Cores had been moved to a secure place. A place not even GLADOS could reach.  
You were deep into the heart of the facility.   
Overhead, conveyor belts producing new turrets whirred and clanked. Factories always freaked you out. All the metal and machines, not pleasant.

You let out a small yelp as you tripped over something hard. Your face collided with the ground and you heard the sickening crack of your glasses. You groaned and stumbled to your feet. Squinting at your glasses, you found that one of the lenses was completely cracked.   
“Ah lovely,” you mumbled. “Now I have to do this half blind. That’s just tremendous.”

You prepared to trek forward only to have blinding pain explode in the back of your head. You slumped to the ground, your vision fading and your mind a jumbled mess. It hurt so badly and you were fading quickly. Consciousness was slipping away like water through a grate. 

You heard a dark chuckle before your vision blocked out. 

“Moron.”


	5. Transfer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> GLADOS puts you to the test

“Good morning Wheatley.” 

Pulled you out of a deep haze you were settled in. You groaned and slowly opened your eyes. Everything was a colorful blur.   
Where are you?   
You propped yourself up on your elbows and looked around. From what you could make out, you were in a sterile white room and set on a sort of bed. Where were your glasses?!  
You groped around your bedside and felt relief wash over you at the familiar metal of your spectacles. You popped them on and felt blood run through your veins. Standing beyond said glass was GLADOS. 

“Did you sleep well? You were out for a long time” The android asked, her voice calm and monotone. 

“Caroline!? What’s going on?” You asked shakily, jumping to your feet.

“Caroline is deleted,” She said cooly. “It’s just GLADOS now.”  
A chill ran down your spine at this. The android smirked at your visible unease. “I’m actually glad your still alive. I was getting so bored of the same old test subjects, but now I have you to entertain me for a while.”

“Bold of you to assume that I'd ever help you after what you did to my friend.” You crossed your arms and tried your best to look intimidating (which was incredibly difficult standing next to a 6’7 Robot).

A deep robotic chuckle sounded from GLADOS. She leaned forward slightly, held back only by the tangle of wires and hydraulics connecting her to the facility. “Is it really that bold? Especially since, after you complete my tests, I’ll let you go. You were Caroline’s friend after all, even if I wanted to I couldn’t kill you.”

You couldn’t hide the shock on your features. She was lying. She had to be. There was no way that this monster that massacred your friends would let you go free. Right?  
But then it all made sense. The Core transfer involves your organic body dying. Which means that GLADOS couldn’t kill you, or else your consciousness would be immediately transferred into the Android and the Core project would be activated. If GLADOS killed you, she would end up sabotaging herself. She must have found out that information only after killing Kate, Henry and Caleb. That meant she needed to keep you alive by any means. 

“I can assure you I’m not lying, if that’s what your thinking.” She shrugged. “But I don’t blame you for thinking I am.”

“No, I ...I believe you…” You said. Your freedom was all you wanted. You wanted to leave and go back to England where you could be safe with a cuppa and forget any of this ever happened. But on the other hand, there were still thousands of test subjects left in the building. You couldn’t just leave them to die! You made up your mind. You would trick GLADOS into thinking you wanted to be free, and as soon as you got the chance, head down to the Core chamber and try to upload the project manually.

“So what’ll it be?”

“I’ll do it.”

Her smirk deepened, “I thought so. I’m glad we could come to an arrangement.” A door to your left slid open. “Inside there is the testing chamber. You will find your standard issue Portal gun as well. I look forward to seeing you test.” She stepped backwards into a platform which lowered her out of site. 

You took a shaky breath. How the hell did you even find yourself in this situation?

The door slid shut behind you as you entered the chamber. It’s huge white paneled walls were stacked with platforms, all too high to reach. In front of you lay a Portal gun upon a neatly folded orange jumpsuit. . Despite your situation, you felt a spark of glee at the thought of being able to use the gun. You had seen one before, but after ‘The Great Wheatley Invasion’, you were forbidden to touch any Aperture technology ever again. 

You slipped into the jumpsuit and were slightly disturbed at the realization it fit perfectly. Had she measured you while you slept?

You hooked the gun around your arm and looked around for any idea to solve the puzzle. A companion cube sat in the corner, which meant that there was a door that you needed to carry the cube to. No doubt up on one of those platforms.  
At least you knew what type of puzzle it was. Now you needed to try and work out the gun. You had seen Test subjects do it before. It couldn’t be that hard. Right?  
Cautiously, you aimed it at the ground and pressed the blue button.

A glowing blue portal appeared. Alright, step one figured out, now for step two.   
You aimed the gun up at one of the walls behind the platform and shot. An orange portal appeared, bridging to the blue one. 

You took a deep breath and jumped in.   
The portal shot you out the other side and landed flat on your face, narrowly avoiding flying off the edge of the platform. Pain exploded through your nose and you were positive it would bruise.   
You stumbled to your feet and peered down the platform edge. The platform you jumped up from was there, the blue portal still glowing and the Companion Cube lay next to it. Right, you forgot about the bloody cube.   
You sighed, turned back to the portal and jumped through again.   
You felt your foot catch on the edge of the portal and you once again landed on your face. You groaned in pain and propped yourself up on your elbows. “Oh splendid. Tremendous landing, Wheatley.”

“I thought it was good.”

You froze at the sound of the voice. Looking to the side, you saw the companion cube glowing a soft pink.  
“Uhm ...was that from you, dodgy looking little cube?” You asked. A memory of Cindy flashed through your brain. Didn’t she end up in one of these things? 

“Hello. I am your companion cube. You’ll need me to complete the test.” A soft female voice came from it. It wasn’t one you recognized. “You can pick me up using that little button on the side.”

“Oh?” You stood up and aimed the gun. Pressing the button, the cube levitated up and hovered near the gun. “Huh! Cheers!” You smiled.   
Now armed with the cube, you jumped through the portal, this time managing not to flop on your face. 

Alright, now you could focus on the rest of the puzzle.   
Two of the platforms above you were moving opposite directions. You would have to time it so the one above lines up above the bottom platform so you could land on it. 

You took a deep breath, “Alright I can do this.”

“I believe in you,” The cube said.

“Uhm, thanks mate.” You were still a tad bit creeped out by the Box. 

You set the cube down and aimed the Portal gun at the platform. As soon as it was close, you shot. A portal appeared on it. You aimed at the floor and shot another one. Picking up the cube, you waited for the platform to go underneath the other portal. Right as it was under, you jumped down. 

You felt dizzy as the platform continued to shift. You only had a few more levels to go. 

———————————————————————-

You had gotten used to the Portal jumps by now, but  
the puzzle was a pain. It took twelve portals and five near death experiences before you got to the top. You were sweating buckets, your glasses were askew and your hair was a bloody disaster. You had no idea how the test subjects manage to do this for seven hours every day.

It seemed like an eternity before you finally placed the companion cube on the platform, completing the chamber. “Alright GLADOS! I completed your test!” You called out, despite the fact she definitely already knew you had.

Another platform lowered from the ceiling, revealing GLADOS with a smug face. “You test well,” she complimented. “For someone of your particular level of intelligence.” 

“Wonderful. Can you let me out now, luv?” You asked, gritting your teeth.

She seemed taken aback by the nickname, but quickly covered it up. “Yes.” She stepped aside and a door opened leading to the elevator. “I hope you have enjoyed your time at Aperture Science centers. You are welcome to come back any time.”

You chuckled awkwardly, “I wouldn’t count on it.” You speed walked to the elevator, ignoring the androids cold gaze on your back. You gripped the portal gun tight, thankful that she hadn’t tried to take it back, and used your free hand to punch in the floor button. The elevator shot downwards, causing you to stumble slightly. You were so close now. 

As soon as the doors opened to the factory, you bolted out. It was the same as you saw it before, only now there was a sense of urgency. Blood from your colleagues splattered a trail to the back of the room and caused you to grimace at the idea that your co-workers were now nothing more then code. You only had so long before GLADOS sensed you in the factories and came to investigate. 

You weaved through conveyors and whirring machinery as you made a mad dash through the room. Your broken glasses messed up your vision and you nearly ran straight into an incinerator in your disoriented state.   
At the factories end, between the conveyor belt leading to the next room and a pile of broken robot parts, was a door. It had to be for the core project.

You placed your shaking hand on the scanner, begging that GLADOS wouldn’t feel the disturbance in the systems. 

“Wheatley Merchant, employee #241974. Welcome to the core project.”

A soft robotic voice greeted. The doors slid open, revealing a huge room illuminated with neon circuits and buttons. You stepped in, feeling a woosh of air as the doors closed behind you.  
The room was surrounded with foggy looking capsules. Curious, you wiped away the mist and peered in.

Your heart seized as you recognized the face of Dr. Kate. She looked serene, as if she was asleep. 

“C-computer?” You asked, stumbling back. “IS She...dead?” 

“Yes. Dr.Kate, employee #395676 is now transferred into Core Android: Curiosity.”

“Curiosity….”You smiled sadly. “How fitting…” Looking around, you noticed at least five other capsules. “What about the other ones?”

“Dr. Henry, employee #326775 is now transferred into core Android: Intelligence.

Dr. Neilson, employee #768008 is now transferred into core Android: Astronomy

Dr. Jones, employee #098788 is now transferred into core Android: Adventure

Dr. Caleb, employee #550789 is now transferred into Core Android: Facts

Dr. Violetta, employee #777890 is now transferred into core Android: Morality.

Final Core subject not yet transferred. Would you like to start the transfer now?”

You hesitated, “I….I guess….” The thought of being torn out of your body was….not a pleasant one, and the idea of it made you sick to your stomach. “Uhm, what core am I assigned to?”

“Wheatley Merchant, employee #241974 set to be transferred to Wheatley core. Please step inside the transfer chamber.”

An empty capsule opened up beside Kate. It was lit up with cables and wires, likely all of which were about to be shoved into you. “Wheatley core?” You laughed weakly. Not very creative, isn’t it?”  
Shakily, you climbed into the capsule.  
It closed behind you, locking you in

“Wheatley Core is ready. Final core in place, ready to initiate the Core protocol?”

It was that moment you felt the weight of this protocol. Activating this would kill you. You would never breathe fresh air, never graduate, never see your family….  
A choked sob ripped out of your throat. Tears welled up, splashing against your glasses and blinding you.  
You took in a shaky breath and wiped the tears away. “Yes, activate it.” 

“Wheatley core transfer beginning, Core protocol activated. GLADOS rebooting.”

All at once, you felt electricity race throughout your entire body. 

Blinding pain ripped a scream from your throat and set every inch of your body on fire. 

Then, there was nothing but code.

**Author's Note:**

> I have this as “Wheat Man” in my documents.


End file.
